How I Save Space on My Windows Mobile Device

The next topic of joint conversation for the Experts here at Smartphone & PocketPC Magazine is an interesting one: How do I save space on my Windows Mobile device? This is one of my favorite questions and one that I have received dozens of emails on over the last few years.

To answer the question I almost have to ask a question in return: Which memory are you asking me about?

I tend to look at my device like I do my PCs. I have storage memory (ROM) and I have application memory to run what I have installed (RAM). How I go about saving these really are fundamentally different. To be sure though you can save those precious megabytes on your device and here is how I do just that.

My primary way of saving ROM on my device is by installing as many applications as I can on a storage card instead of in the device’s memory (or ROM). Storage cards are cheap these days – less than $20 (US) for a 1GB MiniSD card. Given that the vast majority of Windows Mobile applications are less than 500K in memory requirements, which is a vast amount of storage space!

That said, I will say that I have found some applications don’t function well when installed on a storage card. As a general rule I don’t install any PIM-like application on a storage card. I’ve found even on the fastest of devices that sometimes the application has a delay in accessing the PIM database and doesn’t perform as it should.

When it comes to saving RAM, the answers are a bit more varied. Part of the problem I have found with Windows Mobile is that, by default, when you tap the X to close an application it only minimizes it instead of closing it. It is a “feature” that I’m not really fond of and I, like many other MVPs and experts, have suggested countless times to Microsoft to fix. With this in mind, the first way I save memory is to make sure I have as few running applications as possible. You can do this by going to the Memory application on your device (Start>Settings>Device>Memory>Running Applications) and clicking the End All button. This will close every application down that is running. Depending on how many and what applications you have running, this could instantly save you a few megabytes.

Another way to address this issue is with a 3rd party application like Spb Pocket Plus or SBSH iLauncher. These applications, among their other features, turn the X into a real close button, not a minimize button. By using one of these applications you don’t have to go into your device’s settings regularly – they simply take care of it for you. You can try or buy either of these applications at the VIP store here at Smartphone & PocketPC magazine.

Finally, when it comes to saving RAM, one of the best ways is to minimize the number of applications you run at any given time. Logically, every application you have running requires RAM. The fewer the better!

As always, I encourage you to post a reply or drop me a line to let me know what you think and how you save memory on your device!